Shloka 16
शय्यासनोपभोगश् च सपिण्डानाम् अपीष्यते भस्मास्थिचयनाद् ऊर्ध्वं संयोगो न तु योषिताम्
śayyāsanopabhogaś ca sapiṇḍānām apīṣyate bhasmāsthicayanād ūrdhvaṃ saṃyogo na tu yoṣitām
For those who are sapiṇḍas, even the use of bed and seat is deemed restricted; but after the ashes and bones have been gathered, the condition of association comes to an end—yet, by rule, it is not so in the case of women.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Rules of aśauca (ritual impurity) and restrictions connected with death-rites among sapiṇḍas, including gendered continuities of sambandha
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Kinship-based ritual restrictions (sapiṇḍa-sambandha) govern post-death conduct, with specific rules about when social association is deemed to cease.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Observe culturally appropriate boundaries during bereavement, prioritizing dignity, simplicity, and respect for family obligations.
Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is treated as Bhagavad-ājñā sustaining social and ritual order within the Lord’s governed cosmos.
FAQs
This verse frames ritual discipline around the sapiṇḍa kin-group, stating that even ordinary comforts like bed and seat-use are regulated during post-death observances, emphasizing dharma as a stabilizing social order.
He marks a key boundary at the collection of ashes and bones: after bhasma-asthi-cayana, the saṃyoga (ritual association/observance) is said to cease for the relevant kin, indicating a formal closure point in the rite.
Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching belongs to the Purāṇa’s dharma-kāṇḍa: right ritual order is presented as part of the world’s sustaining law (dharma), ultimately grounded in Vishnu as the supreme regulator of cosmic and social harmony.